Automobile lock means



March 26, 1929. J. s. LACH AUTOMOBILE LOCK MEANS Filed Aug. 4, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet March 26, 1929. J. 5. LACH AUTOMOBILE LOCK MEANS Filed Aug. 4, 1926' 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 WW L March 26, 1929. J. 5. LAcH 1,706,789

AUTOMOBILE LOCK MEANS Filed Aug. 4, 1926 1 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 J v gnozwto'c .lfwz/ $1, aiwww Patented Mar. 26,1929.

' JosEPH s. LACK, or BRIDGEIORT,

CONNECTICUT; ASSIGNOB 'ro THE YALE & TOWNE MANur c'rURmeoomPANY, or STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT.

- auronomnnrocx MEANS.

Application filed Au usta, 1926 serum No; 127,083.

This invention "relates to improvements in automobile locks, one object of the inven-' tion being to ,provide simple and efiicient means which shall be operable'simultaneously'to lock 1 the electric ignition circuit open and to lock the control means forthe clutch; With this and other'object's in View, the invention consists infc'ertain novel features of'construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims; a a

In the accompanying drawings; Figure 1' 's a side'view showing an embodiment of my invention;

Figure 2 is a front view; I 1

F igure 2 isga view of the operating shaft lever or-handle 8;- i

, Figure 8 is a back view; a 1 Figure 4 is a plan View;

Figure 5 is a face view showing the dial andassociatedparts; 7 7

Figures 6-and 7 'aredetailviews showing the circult breaker and operating parts,

, locking means for the dial lever, shaft,

*Fi'g'ure 11 is a view partly in elevation ,and' partly in section showing the shaft and locking means therefor, and V 1 Figure 12 is adetail View showing the coupling structure 49. v i a p f My improved locking mechanism comprises a suitable frame or casing 1-to be secured to the instrument board 2 of an auto-' 3 mobile, and a dial or'front' plate 8 isemployed and provided with'a suitable opening for the accommodation of the plug or rotatable member 4 of acylinder lock 5, the

body portion of the latter being secured 1- and pressed upwardly by a spring 29 so that its up'perend is caused, under certain within the frame orcasingl. The dial or front plate 3"is'also provided with an opening for the accommodation of the projecting end 6 of an operating shaft 7, the latter being suitably mounted in the frame'or cas The frame or casing 1 has secured there- Figures 8, 9 and 10 are'views illustrating dial lever ing, andthe projecting end 6 of said shaft receives a manually operable leverior 'han upon, a cover plate 9 which carries'two binding posts 11, 11, to receive terminalfio wires 12, 12 in the electric ignition circuit.

The binding posts 11 are provided at their-.

lower or inner ends with heads which form contacts '13 for cooperation with contacts 14'onaplate or bar 15, whereby the electric 65 ignition circuit may be opened'as shown in. Figure 6 or closed as shown in Figure 7. The plate or bar 15 of the circuit breaker or switch is carried by "a block or head 16 and the lattercarriesa plunger 17 which normally engages the peripheral portion of a disk 18 keyed to'the-operating shaft 7, y said disk serving to retain the circuit breaker 1 closed under normal conditions,,as indicated in Figure 7. I The disk 18 is providedwith 65 a notch 19v having a beveled wall 20 and a radial wall 21, so that when the shaft 7 is turned in the direction indicated by thea'rrow on Figure 7, said notch will become'dis posed under the plunger 17 and permit said plunger to enter the same, causing the -circuit breaker to open the electric ignition circuit, as indicated in F'igurefi. In order that the heador block 16 and the contact plate or bar 15 of the circuit breaker may be positively moved to the positions shown in Figure 6 to open the electric ignition circ cuit, springs 22 may vbe provided, said springs having "seat's'in sockets in the cover I plate 9 and the block or head 16 as shown in I Figure 1.-

' The shaft 7 also carries a disk 23 having a notch 24, the ends of which form shoulders 25,26, and diametrically opposite the notch Y 24, the disk 23is provided with a V-shaped g5 notch; 27. -A vertically movable plunger 28 is suitably mounted in the frame or casing conditions,to engage in the notch 24 of disk 0 23 and thus lock-the shaft 7 against turning. The plunger 28 is notched as at 29 to provide a shoulder 30, which is engaged by a roll-back cam 31 carried by the rotatable key-controlled member 4 ,of the cylinder lock 5. The plunger 28.is also provided,

near its upper end, with a shoulder 32 to be engaged by a spring-pressed plunger 33 for the pin-pose of holding the locking plunger 28 out of engagement with the disk, temporarily during the operation of the mechanism. The plunger 33 passes through a guide 34 and carries an enlargement 35, between which latter and the guide 34, a spring 36 is located. The disk 18 carries a laterally projecting lug 37 which, during the operation of the shaft 7, will engage the enlargement 35 on the plunger and move the latter away from the shoulder 32 of locking plunger 28.

\Vhen the parts are in the positions shown in Figures 6 and 8, the electric ignition circuit will be open and the shaft 7, by which the circuit breaker is controlled, will be locked against turning. Under these conditions, the automobile cannot be started, because the electric ignition circuit is open and locked in such condition. In order, however, that the clutch yoke trunnion of the car shall be, at the same time, locked against operation, the instrumentalities now to be described are employed.

The frame or easing 1 is provided with a diagonally disposed portion 1 in which is a diagonal plate 38 on which a slide bracket 39 is movable, a spring-pressed ball or member 40 being employed to maintain said bracketin proper relation to the plate 38. A tube 41 secured to the casing member 1 serves to protect a rod 42, the latter being connected at its upper end with the slide bracket 39 so as tol be moved thereby and the lower endof this rod is connected with a spring-controlled locking bar or member '43 to be moved into locking relation to the trunnion 44 of the clutch yoke, which latter is operable by a pedal lever, as is well understood in the art. The hub 45 of a roll- ;back 46 is mounted in the plate 39 and said roll-back carries a roll-back pin 47 which enters a cam slot 48 in the slide bracket.

A. coupling 49 is pivot-ally connected at one end with one end of the operating'or con trol shaft 7 and at its other end, said coupling is loosely connected with the roll-back hub The coupling 49 comprises a member 49 to engage the roll-back hub 45 and ameniber 49 pivotally connected at one end to the member 49 by a pivot pin 49 and at its other end pivoted to the shaft 7 by a pivot pin.49,.the pivot pins 49 and 49 being disposed at right angles to each other. The operating or control shaft 7 is thus'coir nected with the roll-back hub 45 by means of what, is, in effect, a universal coupling.

It may be assumed that the circuit breaker has been openedas shown in Figure 6 and locked in such position by cooperation of "the plunger 28 with the notched disk 23 as shown in Figure 8, and that the clutch yoke trunnion has been locked by the locking bar 43 as shown in Figure 1. Under such conditions the automobile will be effectually locked against operation. To effect unlocking for placing the car in operable condition, a key 50 will, be inserted into the plug 4 of the cylinder lock 5 and turned to draw the plunger 28 out of the notch 24 of disk 23 and as this plunger reaches its lowest position, the plunger 33 will become disposed over the shoulder 32 of plunger 28 and hold the latter in its depressed position (see Figure 9). The key may now be withdrawn. In order to prevent leaving the key in the lock, where it can be stolen or its number noted for the purpose of obtaining a duplicate, the lock is so located with respect to the lever 8 on the operatingfshaft that the head of the key will be in the path of movement of the lever 8 on the control or operating shaft 7, thus preventing a sufficient movement of the latter toaecomplish the complete operation of the devices controlled from said shaft,,while the key is in the lock.

WVhenthe shaft 7 shall have been unlocked as previously explained and the key removed, the operator will turn said shaft by manipulation of the lever or handle 8, after having depressed the pedal lever which controls the operation of the clutch yoke, to disengage the clutch. As the shaft 7 turns, the lug 37 on the disk 18 will engage the enlargement 35 on the spring-pressed plunger 33 and withdraivt-he latter to release the plunger 28. The releasingv of the plunger 28 will occur after the notch 24 in disk23 shall have passed the upper end ofsaid plunger, and upward'movement of the latter will now be prevented by engagement with the periphery of said disk until ,the

turn and the beveled wall 20 of the notch 19, I '7 will force the circuit breaker to. its'closed position as shown in Figure 7, thus closing the electric ignition circuit,the circuit breaker being maintained closed by engagement of the plunger 17 with the periphery of the disk 18.

During the said turning movement of the shaft 7, motion will be imparted, through the universal coupling 49 to the roll-back cam 46 and cooperation of the roll-back pin' 47 with the cam slot 48 in the slide 39,

will cause vertical movement of the latter until the pin becomes disposed on a dead centerover the axis of the roll-back hub.

Duringsuch vertical movement of the slide,

the locking bar 43 will (through the medium of the rod 42) be raised from interlocking relation with the clutch yoke and the pedal may now be operated in the usual manner to control the clutch.

To move the parts from normal operative position, for rending theelectricignition circuit and clutch yoke and pedal .leverinoperable (as mdicatedm-tl'le drawmgs), the

use of the key is not necessary, it being sufhcient only to turn the lever or handle 8 counter-clockwise to effect a half turn of the shaft 7 and the parts carried thereby and connected therewith.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is 1. In automobile lock means for the electric ignition circuit and the clutch control means, the combination with a circuit breaker for the electric ignition circuit and a locking member for the clutch control means, of a manually operable shaft, a notched'disk carried by said shaft and cooperable with the circuit breaker, a slide bracket, connecting means between said slide bracket and the clutch locking member, connections between said slide bracket and said I shaft, and means for locking said shaft.

2. In automobile lock means, the combination with a circuit breaker for the electric ignition circuit and a locking member for the clutch control means of the automobile, of a manually operable shaft, an operating lever on said shaft, operating connections between said shaft and the circuit breaker,

operating connections between said shaft p by said shaft for operating the temporary and said clutch locking member, a key lock, and means operable by said lockfor locking said shaft, said lock being so located relatively to the lever on said shaft, that the latterwill be prevent-ed from complete operation when the key is in the lock.

3. In automobile lock means, the combination with a circuit breaker for the electric ignition circuit, of a manually operable shaft, a lever for rocking said shaft, operating connections between said shaft and the circuit breaker, a key-controlled lock, and means controlled by said look to locksaid shaft, said lock being so located relatively tothe lever on said shaft that when its key is inserted, a portion of said key will be disposed in the path of said lever and prevent a complete operative throw of said lever and shaft, the means to lock the shaft being intermediate the shaft and the lock and in angular relation to the shaft.

l. In automobile lock means, the combination with means to render a part of an automobile mechanism inoperable, of a manually operable shaft, connections between said shaft and said means, a notched disk carried by said shaft, a plunger to engage the notch of said disk and lock said-shaft, a lock, and means operable by the lock'to retract said plunger.

5. In: automobilelock means, the combi- 11311011" with meansto' render apart of an automoblle mechanlsm inoperable, of a manually operable shaft, connections between said shaft and said means, a notched disk carriedby said shaft, a plunger to engage in the'notch of said disk andlocksaid shaft, a lock, means operable by the lock to retract said plunger, means to temporarily lock said plunger in retracted position, and means for operating the temporary locking means to release said plunger.

6. 1 In automoblle lock means, the combi nation with means to render a part of an carried by said shaft for operating the tem- V porary locking means. 1 I 7 In automoblle lock means, the combi- 1' nation with means to render a part of an automobile mechanism inoperable, of a manually operable shaft, connections, between,

said shaft and said means, a notched disk carried by said shaft, a plunger to engage in thenotch of said disk and lock said shaft, a lock,means operable by the lock to retract said plunger, means to temporarily lock said lunger in retracted position, means carried locking means, said disk also having a V- shaped notch to receive the plunger to hold said disk and shaft against accidental turning. r r i 8. In automobile lock means, the combination with a circuit breaker including a movable member, of a manually operable shaft, a disk carried by. said shaft and' provided with a notch having a beveled wall, a

plunger carried by the movable member of said circuit breaker and adapted to enter said notch to permit the circuit breaker'to open,

and locking means for said shaft.

'9. In automobile lock means, the combination with a circuit breaker including a movable member, of a manually operable shaft, a disk carried by said shaft and provided with a notch having a beveled wall, a plunger carried by the movable member of said circuit breaker and adapted to enter said notch to permit the circuit breaker to open, locking means for said shaft, and a lock to control said locking means.

10. In automobile lock means, the combination with a locking member'to lock the clutch 7 control means, of a slide bracket, means'connecting said slide bracket and said locking member, a manually operable shaft,

locking means for said shaft, a lock to operate said locking means, and means operatively connecting said shaft With said slide bracket.

v 11. In automobile lock means, the combination with a locking 'n'ieinber to lock the clutch control means, of a slide bracket, means connecting said slide bracket and locking member, a manually operable shaft, locking means for said shaft, a lock to operate said locking means, a roll-back 10 In testimony whereof, I havesigned this 15 specification.

JOSEPH s. LAGH. 

